BULLET DODGING

12.03.12

Ailes Told Petraeus to Run for President

Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

The Petraeus scandal could have been a whole lot more embarrassing for the U.S. government. Back in 2011, Fox News chairman and Republican media czar Roger Ailes advised Gen. David Petraeus—then the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan—to run for president, The Washington Post reports. In a message passed to Petraeus by Fox News national-security analyst Kathleen T. McFarland, Ailes told the general that he should turn down President Obama’s offer to become CIA director and only accept an appointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Should he not get the appointment, Ailes said Petraeus should launch a presidential campaign, which he was considering retiring from Fox News to manage himself. Rupert Murdoch was apparently also keen on a Petraeus presidential run.